Malt-drier



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. A. WALLACE.

MALT DRIER.

No. 360,257. Patented Mar.29, 1887.

M mv

5 Sheets- Sheet 2.

(No Model.) D. A. WALLACE.

MALT DRIER.

N0. 360,267. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

(No Model.) 5 sneets-sheen 3. D. A. WALLACE. MALT DRIRE. No. 360,257. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

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N4 PETERS. Phnlaillhogrnphur, Washington. Dy C.

D. A. WALLACE.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

MALT DRIER.

(No Model.)

No. 360,257. Patented Mar. Z9, 1887.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5. D. A. WALLACE.

MAL'I' DRIER. No. 360,257. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

UNTTn STATES PATENT einen.

DAVID A. VALLACE, OF BATAVIA, NEV YORK.

NlALT-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,257,dated March 29, 1.887.

Application tiled October 14, 1886.

To all whom, it may concern..-

Be it known that I, DAVID A. WALLACE, of Batavia, in the county of Genesee and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Turning Malt, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

It is well understood that in malting grain the wet germinated kernels are subjected to a thorough drying process in suitablyconstructed kilns by the application of furnace heat to the floor thereof, in doing which the grain has to be frequently stirred or turned upon the iioor to prevent overheating or scorching. This operation of turning the grain has been heretofore usually done by hand with a shovel or similar instrument, the attendant walking in the grain for the purpose.

The object of my invention is to produce a device by means of which the grain may be turned by revolving paddles or blades caused automatically to traverse the oor of the kiln from end to end thereof, the invention being fully described hereinbelow, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a plan of my improved device for turning malt, parts being broken away and omitted and other parts shown in two positions by full and dotted lines, the half of the wall nearest the observer being horizontally sectioned, as upon the dotted line z in Fig. 2, the other half as upon the dotted line x2, and a small portion of the wall at the opening through which the drivingshaft and a part of the belt-shifting device project being sectioned on the dotted line yf,- Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same, parts being broken away, and the walls, shafts, and other parts vertically longitudinally sectioned, as upon the dotted line a: in Fig. l, and seen as indicated by the arrow pointed thereon; Fig. 3, a side elevation of a portion of the carriage, drawn to a larger scale and seen in the direction in which Fig. 2 is seen, the shafts being sectioned as on said dotted line x, the figure being drawn to show the manner of raising or lowering the paddle-shafts, parts being shown in two positions by full and dotted lines, and a portion of one of the wheels and a holder for the carriage being vertically Serial No. 216,201. (No model.)

sectioned on the plane of the tracks; Fig. 4, a plan of a portion of the perforated floor and frame of the kiln, drawn to show the opening through the iloor with the cover therefor; Fig.

5, a side elevation of one of the clutch-driving sprockets for the paddle-shafts, the shaft holding said sprocket being sectioned, as on the dotted line y in Fig. 7, the whole viewed as indicated by arrow x; Fig. 6, an end View of one of the sliding driving-clutches for the driving-sprockets and a portion of the forked bar operating the same, the shaft and spline being sectioned, as upon said dotted line y, the figure being viewed as indicated by arrow z; Fig. 7, a side elevation ofthe clutch and a part of the sprocket, with a part of the shaft and spline for the clutch, viewed as indicated by arrows z2 and x,- Fig. 8, al1-inside elevation of one of the carriage-trucks, seen in the direction in which Fig. 2 is seen, drawn to show the vertical dovetailed cavity or rest within which the frame oi' the carriage slides at one end, a part at the sides of the cavity being broken away and vertically sectioned to better show the form thereof; Fig. 9, an outline view of a building containing the malting kilns, furnaces, elevator, &c., drawn to a small scale, showing the general arrangement of the parts; Fig. 10, a side elevation of some of the parts, seen as indicated by arrow y in Fig. l, drawn to show the mechanism by means ot' which the paddle-shafts are stopped rotating while the carriage continues to move along its tracks; Fig. l1, aside elevation oi' parts of the beltshifting mechanism and driving-pulleys, seen as indicated by arrow y in Fig. 1, drawn to show more fully the forni and operation of the same, parts being broken away; and Fig. 12, a view of some of the same parts, seen as indicat-ed by arrow e".

Referring to the parts, A are walls that may be supposed to inclose the drying-kiln for making malt, and O the frame for the operating parts of my improved device for turning the malt, built within said walls.

Bis acarriage, composed of numerous parts, caused to move backward and forward over the malt from end to end of the interior of the kiln upon horizontal side tracks or ways C, Secured to the frame.

D is a horizontal driving-shaft resting in IOO bearings i-n the sides of the frame near one end thereof, said shaft being provided with a system of overhanging belt-pulleys, E.

F are the trucks of the carriage, provided wlth wheels G to roll upon the lower tracks C.

H is the frame of the carriage, consisting of the vertical sidepieces, I, and cross-bar J, `)oming them, said side pieces having bearings on the respective trucks.

K are horizontal paddle-shafts resting in bea-rings at the lower part of the frame, carrying paddles K, provided with blades b for agitating or turning the grain.

L. is a driving-shaft for the paddle-shafts, restlng in bearings in the frame, and a are sprockets on the shaft L, which carry chains c, that pass around sprocket-wheels o2 on the paddle-shafts to turn the latter in their bearl ings.

, around idle-wheels e at the other end of the` cl and o are differential sprockets upon the shaft L, andf are driving-chains, which pass around said differential sprockets and around sprockets g on the main driving-shaft D, also frame.

N'is a lifting device for raising or lowering the carriage to cause the ends of the paddles to'sweep near the iioor or more distant therefrom, as may be required, said device consisting of a horizontal shaft, h, resting in bearings in the trucks, slotted arms 7c, to lift the frame, and operating-lever l, with toothed rack z', pawl and pawl-lever n and p, and other minor parts.

P are devices for tightening the chains f,

' each consisting of a movable frame, 1", which holds the idlers e, and a screw, s, to press said frame in a direction to strain the chain.

g and h are other idlers for the chains f, the former being held to turn, respectively, upon studs i', rigid with the side pieces, l, of the carriage-frame in the planes of the differential sprockets d, and the latter idlers held on pins n at the ends of arms p', also pivoted adjustably to said side pieces upon rigid studs n, which hold said idlers in the planes of the respective differential sprockets o. These arms are held in positions of adjustment by setscrews o', on account of which said arms, with their attachedidlers, may be used'as ti gh teners for the respective chains should it be at any time convenient.

a are holders for the carriage, secured adjustably to the trucks F in position to bear against the under edges of the respective guides C, which serve to prevent the truckwheels being by any means lifted off the tracksV C. The holders shown are circular in form, though they may be of any convenient form,

and are hung eccentrically upon horizontalbolts b', secured to the respective trucks, on ac-' count of which they may be turned upward, as indicated, to take up or compensate for the wear of the lower tracks and truck-wheels from the moving to and fro of the carriage, as stated.

The wheels G of the trucks are preferably grooved upon their peripheries, having a ,the rest of the floor.

vthe heat, which is communicated directly thereto from the furnace beneath.

d is a transverse opening or trap in the floor, preferably about midway between the ends of the kiln, closed by a cover, c', perforated like The cover is preferably made with a light iron frame, e', which iits Y between the flanges of adjacent joists f beneath the oor, so that the upper surface of said cover shall be even with-the floor.

Regarding the belt-pulleys at E, Z andfrare loose upon the shaft D, while-the one at s' is rigid therewith. Two driving-belts, a3 and b3, are used upon the pulleys side by side, one being straight and the oth er crossed.A These belts are shifted to alternately run upon the fixed pulley s", to turn the driving-shaft D alternately in different directions to move the carriage backward and forward along the tracks C.

The carriage is moved slowly along the tracks when the shaft is turned, on account of the difference in diameter of the differential sprockets o and d, by a principle heretofore employed in other devices-such as hoisting devices, tc-well understood. Starting from the driving-sprocket g, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper portion of the chain passes over the sprocket o, thence under the idler h', around the idlers e of the tightener, over the idler g',

and under the sprocket d, back to the driving-A sprocket g, the carriage moving atall timesin the direction i-n which the upper portion of the differential sprockets move. The paddleshafts are connected with the driving-shaft L by chains, to be turned in the direction in which the carriage moves, causing the blades to strike into the malt backward,or in the opposite direction. The speed of the drivingshaft D being constant, the rate of motion of the carriage along the ways Willdepend upon the difference in the number of teeth of the differential sprockets d and oe-the greater the difference the greater the rate of speed.

The ,carriage-trucks' F are each formed with a vertical dovetailed cavity, t, upon its inner face, which together form rests for the carriage B, the side pieces, I, of the carriageframe being formed with corresponding dove-y tail projections, u, to iit said cavities t and to slide vertically therein. The carriage is raised or lowered to avmoderate distance by the de- IIO vice N, as above stated. The shaft h thereof rests at its ends in the trucks, and the arms k,

rigid with said shaft, are held near the respective side pieces, I, and slotted to receive pins n3, rigid with said side pieces. The lever Z is also rigid with the shaft h, on account of which, when it is swayed backward or forward, the carriage will be raised or lowered. This lever is provided with some simple de vice for holding the carriage in positions of vertical adjustment-such, for instance, as a pawl, n, and tooth bar or rack i, with pawllever p and actuating-'spring t', all of common construction, and for which no novelty isclaimed.

The grain from the germinating vats or loft is carried into the kiln bya spout, S, and, falling upon the middle of the floor, is evenly distributed thereover by the carriage with its revolving paddles, above described, the carriage being allowed to run during the inflow of the grain to the kiln. After the malt is sufiiciently dried the trap d' in the floor is opened and the malt allowed to fall through, the kiln being cleared for a new charge of sprouted grain. The carriage, with its paddles, is brought into use to clear the floor of the kiln by moving the malt from the ends thereof tothe trap, which is done by stopping the rotation of the paddle-shafts at each end of the kiln and allowing the paddles to drag as the carriage moves along. This pushes the malt before the paddles and allows it to drop through the opening as the carriage passes in eitherdirection. Thepaddle-shaftsarestopped rotating by the following means: The sprockets c, f'or driving said shafts, are fitted to turn loose upon the shaft L, and are each formed with a toothed or clutch face, as shown on Sheets 4 and 5, and corresponding sliding clutches, T, are provided on the shaft Lto act with or engage said sprockets, as indicated, said clutches being held to turn with the shaft, but permitted to slide longitudinally thereon along splines a', Vrigid with the shaft. The clutches are formed with grooves c', in which rest the forked ends of a shifting bar, ai, to which is secured a lever, b2. This lever is pivoted at ct to a bracket, d'2, pending rigidly from the cross-bar J of the carriageframe. By moving the lever laterally the clutches will be thrown againstthesprockets to lock with them and turn the paddle-shafts, or moved back to clear said sprockets to cause the paddle-shafts to cease rotating, as stated. The attendant, standing upon theupper portion of the frame, operates the leversl and b'l for the purpose stated. Stopping the rotation of the paddleshaft when the carriage is at one end of the kiln in such position that the blades of the shaft nearest the end of' the kiln shall stand vertical, the nialtwill be drawn or pushed by the advancing carriage from the end of the kiln to the trap. Rotating the shafts again, thence to the other end of' the kiln, and stopping them as before, the malt will be drawn from that end of the kiln to the trap.

It is not intended that all the malt on either side of the trap shall be carried to the latter at a single passage of the carriage, but that a portion shall be taken off' the top at each passage thereof, the friction of the shafts K and .chains c with other parts being sufficient to hold the paddles firmly enough to move aportion of the maltat each passage of the carriage. By continuing this operation the malt will be thrown down the trap without the attendant stepping upon the fioor of the kiln, unless to finally sweep the latter.

The paddles secured to thc shafts may be of any form desired and arranged in various ways thereon, according to judgment. As sh'own, they are inclined to the axis of the shaft and placed in two lines on opposite sides thereof; but they may be placed one in advance of' the other if found more effectual, and the paddles may be twisted to the form of steamboat propeller-wheels or otherwise, as desired. rlhe hubs holding the blades b of the paddles may be cubical in form, as shown in Fig. 2, but I prefer them cylindrical, as shown in Fig. l, held to the respective shafts by set-screws, as shown. Regarding the two shafts, the paddles are preferably placed thereon so that the blades shall eXtendat right angles with each other, as shown, so that only those of one shaft shall dip into the grain at once, for the purpose of' causing a more even strain upon the carriage and the mechanism driving thesame.

The belt-pulleys at E,with the straight and the crossed belts therefor, are quite similar to the corresponding parts of iioirplaners and some other machines, and thc niannerof shifting the beltsv very much the same.

e2 and fi, Figs. 1, 11, and 12, are two parallel sliding heads, each provided with two l tines, g2, pointing horizontally in opposite directions, the respective belts passing between said pairs of tines, one belt, for instance, resting upon the tight pulley sandthe other upon the loose pulley 1". hland are, respectively, two bell-cranks or levers pivoted upon acommon pin, k2, rigid with the frame, said bellcranks being, respectively, connected at their free ends with said sliding heads by means of' pins ZL and/1r entering longitudinal slots therein, as shown. The lever hf" hasv a short arm, o, reaching out so as to be encountered by a part, a, of' the advancing carriage, as shown, as the latter arrives at one end of the kiln. Similarly, at the opposite end of the kiln, a short lever, p2, is pivoted to the frame O and joined by a connecting-rod` 1*', to the bell-crank fi, said lever being in position to be encountered by the other holder of the truck as the carriage reaches the other end ot' the kiln. Thus the carriage, upon arriving at either end vof the kiln, automatically shifts the belt in a manner to start said carriage back toward the other end of' the kiln. The heads el and f2 are fitted to slide independently in their rests or bearings c, but, normally, are j oined by alink, si, attached to the pin Z2, and a similar pin, f", projecting from the headf, so that both must move together.

Now, supposing the belt-shifting devicejust described to be in the position shown by full i lines in Fig. l, with the belts on their respective pulleys s and 1" and the carriage moving toward the left, it will be seen that when it encounters the lcverpl2 the latter will be forced IfO to the position shown by'dotted lines, causing the other parts of the shifting device to be moved to corresponding positions, serving to shift the belts and reverse the direction of the motion ofthe driving-shaftand carriage. Upon arriving at the opposite end of the kiln the carriage will encounter the arm o?, now occupying the position shown in dotted lines, and move the whole belt-shifting mechanism to the position shown in full lines, as before, causing the carriage to again return. By these means the carriage wil l reciprocate or move from end to end of the kiln until stopped bv the attendant. u

At times-as, for instance, when the heat is low-.the drying grain needs to be turned only occasionally, as once in thirty minutes or an hour. When this is the case, it is necessary for the carriage to move only once the length of the kiln and rest until the grain needs turning again, when it is started back to stop upon reaching the oppositeend, as before. To cause the carriage to shift the beltsto stop it upon arriving at either end of the kiln, the link s2 is removed by the attendant, allowing the heads e2 andf to move independently. This being done, the carriage, after being started, will simply run to the end of the kiln and stop by throwing the operating-belt onto the adjacent loosepulley, in which case both belts will b e on-the loose pulleys and become inoperative. To start the carriage again the attendant must throw the other belt upon the tight pulley, when it will move to the opposite end of the kiln and stop, as before.

The frames r of the tighteners P for the respective chains j' are held to the frame O by bolts u2 passed through slots (Z3 therein, in such a manner that said frames r may be moved horizontally by the screws s,'as stated, to take up the slack of the chains, said screws being threaded in the frame O.

In practice these drying-kiliis are placed one over the other, as shown at A in Fig. 9, over suitable furnaces, B'. The raw grain is elevated to the top of the building, and, after being germinated, is carried through a spout, S, into the upper drying-kiln,.where part of the drying is done, then dropped into the next kiln below through the trap d', where the drying process is continued, and thence into the kiln immediately above the furnace, where the drying is completed, the heat communicated to the different kilns increasing as the furnace is approached.

Vhat I claim as my invention is l. In a device for turning malt, in combination with tracks or guides, a reciprocating carriage provided with rotating paddle-shafts and a driving-shaft for said paddle-shafts, provided with diiferential sprockets, a main driving-shaft for the carriage, provided with driving-sprockets, and chains for said differential sprockets and driving-sprockets, substantially as shown.

2. In a device for turning malt, in combination with rigid tracks C, a reciprocating car' riage formed with rolling trucks upon said tracks, said carriage being provided with rotating paddle-shafts and driver therefor, and said trucks being provided with adjustable holders ct', to bear uponv said tracks, with means, substantially as shown, to reciprocate said carriage, as specified.

3. In a device for turning malt, rigid tracks or guides, reciprocating carriage resting thereon, provided with rotating paddle-shafts and driver therefor, said driver being provided with differential sprockets, a main drivingshaft provided with driving-sprockets, driv-` ing-chains upon said driving-sprockets and the differential sprockets, and idlers 7L and g for said driving-chains, in combination with tighteners for said driving-chains, provided with idlers, substantially as shown and described.

4L. In a device for turning malt, rigid tracks or guides, a reciprocating carriage held thereby, provided with rotating paddle-shafts and a driver therefor, the latter being provided with differential sprockets, a main drivingshaft -provided with driving-sprockets, and chains forsaid differential and driving sprockets, in combination with a lifting device, substantially as shown, to raise or lower said carriage, as and for the purpose specilied.

5. In a device for turning malt, rigid tracks, a reciprocating carriage held thereon, rotating paddle-shafts provided with sprockets held by said carriage, a driving-shaft for said paddleshafts resting upon said carriage and provided with loosely-fitting driving-sprockets, and chains for said driving-sprockets and the IOC sprockets on said paddle-shafts, in combinaf tion with means,rsubstantially as shown, .to lock said `driving-sprockets to the driving. shaft, for the purpose stated.

6. In a device for turning malt, rigid tracks or guides,` 'a' reciprocating carriage resting thereon, rotating paddle-shafts held by said carriage, a driving-shaft for said paddle-shafts held by said carriage, said paddle-shaft and driving-.shaft being each provided with sprockets, and chains for said sprockets, in combination with means, substantially as shown, to ref ciprocate said carriage upon Athe tracks, as described.

7. InA a maltturning device, rigid tracks or guides, reciprocating carriage held thereon, provided with rotating paddle shafts, and a driving-shaft for said paddle-shafts, said driving-shaft being provided with loosely-turning driving-sprockets and sliding clutches therefor, turning with said driving-shaft, in combination with means, substantially as shown, to stop said carriage at either end of its run upon said tracks, as and for the purpose set forth.

. vDAVID A. WALLACE. Vitnesses:

E. B. WHITMORE, M. L. MoDERMoTT.

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